Outdoor mailboxes for receiving mail from a postal service are known to be used in both rural and suburban areas. A typical mailbox is one which is fixed upon a vertical support such as a post (in the case of a single mailbox) or upon a frame (in the case of multiple mailboxes.
The outdoor location of mailboxes is determined by the postal service delivering mail to a residence or business. The locations of stand-alone mailboxes are generally near a roadway so that postal service personnel can easily drive their vehicle to a place near a roadway-directed access door, open the access door from their vehicle, deposit mail inside the mailbox, and then close the access door. It is rare that location of the roadside residence mailbox is near electrical utilities.
It is well known that retrieving mail from such a mailbox under dimmed light or nighttime conditions is inconvenient or difficult. The location of the mailbox is typically far from outdoor lighting sources and outdoor dim light conditions means that an interior of the mailbox will be much darker.
The prior art has suggested that a solution to dim light or nighttime conditions would be to provide some type of light inside the mailbox itself. Such a solution is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,715, where a light source is fixed on a rotatable arm so that it can be moved into an illuminating position of an interior space of a mailbox. The device described in this patent requires a somewhat complicated installation and extensive retrofit as to an existing mailbox. The device of the '715 patent in practice requires the purchase of an entire mailbox assembly to obtain the benefits the lighting device. The expected serviceable life of a mailbox is many years which is a disincentive to someone desiring the benefits of the device of the '715 patent without being required to invest in an entirely new mailbox.
It is well known that mailboxes have been formed of weather resistant plastics or aluminum, where magnetic attachment of external devices is impossible. The solar powered and internally lighted house number box of U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,325 is preferably attached to a topmost semi-cylindrical surface at the top ridge of a mailbox by adhesives. The connection to said top ridge of the mailbox can be accomplished by way of screw connection. These means for fixing the number box to a mail box can leave holes in the box or unsightly adhesive residue if a user wishes to remove the number box or relocate it to another outside surface area of the mailbox. It is well known to provide a solar panel at an outside surface of a lighted house number box so that electrical power is stored in a re-chargeable battery within the box.
There is a need for a lighting device for a standalone mailbox that in capable of illuminating an inside space of a mailbox that eliminates the need for connection to a power supply from an established grid while being capable of being attached securely and easily to the mailbox itself regardless of the composition of the mailbox.